


Guns and Roses

by Agent_Fluff



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Flowers, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mutual Pining, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, cliche romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-18 23:47:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5947926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent_Fluff/pseuds/Agent_Fluff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris and his sister Jess are the new kids in Blackwood. They’ve both managed to procure a job at a local flower shop in a small shopping area, filled with clothing shops, a coffee shop, and a tattoo parlor. Chris just wants to make enough money to keep his condo and put himself through school, but the local artist Josh Washington might throw a slight wrench into his plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guns and Roses

**Author's Note:**

> I looooooovvvveeeee flower shop aus so you'll all have to suffer my writing of these dorks being friends and also in love.

Chris stood in front of the small corner shop decorated head to toe in different floral arrangements with only slight anxiety. He was new in town and about to start training for a new job with no one he knew; that was enough to give anyone anxiety.

 

His sister shoved him playfully in the arm and her lips pulled back into a soft grin that was accented by her pink lipgloss.

 

“C’mon, Chris! We’re gonna be late if you stand around outside any longer.” Jessica chided playfully, casting him one last smile before disappearing inside the flower shop.

 

Chris sighed, double checking his pockets for any excuse to not be there right now. He didn't particularly want to work in a flower shop; not because it's “feminine” or whatever, but because he was allergic to most common flowers. Particularly, he was allergic to hydrangeas. He sneezed into his elbow as if to prove a point to himself that this was a bad idea.

 

It didn't matter that he had to suffer for five days a week though. It was a job that payed good and would help keep both him and his sister in their condo and enrolled in college. He'd just have to suck it up and live with it until somewhere else was hiring.

 

Chris pulled open the front door and was surprised to find how spacious it was inside. Potted flowers lined most of the front aisles, while gardening supplies and seeds lined the back aisles. The front desk was just to the right of the entrance, where Jessica was animatedly talking with another blonde haired woman. She was tall and built nicely, hair tossed up into a loose bun. Pretty, in a classic sort of way.

 

She smiled at him as he approached. The woman-- Samantha, her name tag read-- held her hand out in greeting. Chris returned the gesture with a curt smile.

 

“You must be Chris. It’s nice to finally meet you. Ashley’s told me a lot about you.” She gave them both a courteous smile, and Chris blushed. He’d only just met Ashley the other day to ask for a job application. She was pretty with long red hair and a cute button nose. He must’ve made a good impression.

 

“My name’s Samantha, but please, call me Sam.”

 

“Sam? _You’re_  the manager of this place?” Chris asked, taken aback. Ashley had spoken so highly of her boss Sam that Chris figured-- well, what did he figure? He thought maybe Sam was older with laugh lines and crow’s feet, not someone so young and bright eyed.

 

“Did you hear the name Sam and automatically assume I’d be a guy? This is the 21st century, Chris. Get with the times.” She smirked at him.

 

“No! No, that’s not-- I just meant--”

 

“I’m just messin’ with ya, Chris. No harm done.” Sam laughed, making Chris' face turn an even deeper shade of red. He really wasn’t making that great of a first impression with his boss so far, was he?

 

Sam motioned for them to follow her and led them to the front of the store. Rows of bouquets lined the windows and the first shelf next to it. Each bundle had a unique color scheme and some were even adorned with “Happy Birthday!” or “Get Well Soon!” cards.

 

“These are our holiday and special occasion bouquets. You know the type. Generic enough to be sold to many people, but unique enough to actually pass as a gift. This row is the holiday, and that one is the “I’m Feeling Lucky” section. Simple enough.” Sam remarked, fixing the little sign on one of the bundles before moving on to the next section of flowers.

 

She spun on her heel once they were in the middle of the row, greeting them once more with that brilliant smile of hers. “If you have any questions, or I’m going too fast, let me know.”

 

Sam waited for them to nod ok before continuing. “These are the popular flowers. The best-sellers. Roses, Gerbera daisies, tulips, lilies, orchids, gladiolus flowers, irises, and carnations. The row opposite from it contains some other common flowers, but they don’t sell as well. The chrysanthemums seem to be the biggest hit, but there’s a few fans of snapdragons and lisianthus in town.”

 

Jessica picked up one of the lisianthus and sniffed it. Chris watched her, struck by the sudden beauty of his sister in the soft natural lighting of the store. She was gonna make someone so happy one day. She’d be someone’s wife, and they’d see her with that golden halo around her everyday. She’s all grown up.

 

Chris shook the thought before he could cry over his baby sister growing up. She was all he had left of their family, but she was still here, right now, giving him a worried look.

 

“Chris, are you ok? You look like you’re about to cry.” Jessica asked.

 

Chris gave her a reassuring smile and rubbed his eyes. Thank god he had the flower allergy card to play.

 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Un, Sam, you don’t happen to have any hydrangeas out, do you?”

 

Sam thought for a bit before answering, an apologetic smile on her face. “We have a bundle in the next row over. I can move them for now, if you’d like.”

 

“No, it’s fine, really. They’re just a mild irritant is all.” Chris remarked.

 

She nodded sympathetically. “I think I remember you writing that down on your application. I’ll be sure to add that to your work notes.”

 

Jess placed an anchoring hand on his shoulder before smirking up at him. “I should tell you the story of how we found that out.”

 

Chris covered his face with his hands. The story was so incredibly embarrassing, but she always insisted on sharing it.

 

“Jess, no.” He squeaked.

 

Jessica ignored him, fixating on Sam’s amused smile instead. “It was the opening night of my performance as Juliet in _Romeo and Juliet_. I was nervous as heck and shaking like a leaf, until I heard the loudest sneezing coming from the front rows. I looked out the curtains and poor Chris was having a fit: all red in the face and wheezy and sneezing non-stop. Everyone in the audience was watching him sympathetically.”

 

Chris dragged his hands down his face and groaned.

 

“But that’s not the best part! Chris stands up to excuse himself, ever polite, when he sneezes so hard he shits himself!”

 

Sam’s laughter is full-bellied, deep and genuine. Jess’s laughter follows hers in a more subtle giggle, but the distinction doesn’t matter to Chris. They both felt like a stab to the back. He hated it.

 

“It’s ok, Chris. We all have our off days.” Sam assured him, leading them towards the back of the shop.

 

“Yeah, well. It seems like I’m the only one with off days anymore.” Chris huffed.

 

Jessica gave him a reassuring side hug that didn’t do shit to make him feel better, but he appreciated the sentiment. Sam stopped in front of a glass door, beyond which lie what appeared to be a garden.

 

“This is our greenhouse.” She announced. “Chris, since you’re allergic to hydrangeas, we’ll have you working mostly with out vegetables and fruits. You’ll have to run our weekly farmer’s market booth as well. Ashley will help you set that up this coming Thursday.”

 

Chris nodded his ok. He was more than happy to spend his time in the greenhouse and away from people. In fact, that’s what he’d prefer.

 

“Jessica, your first day starts today, and Chris, your first day is tomorrow. You’ll both be working the front desk until I can rewrite the schedule to fit your needs.” Sam finished.

 

They followed her to the desk, where she pulled out an apron with little cartoon flowers and handed it to Jess. He watched as she tied it around her waist and adjusted her braids to sit atop it.

 

Chris gave them each a forced smile. He’d had a long day of hauling boxes into their split condo and add this job orientation on top, he was tired. He just wanted to go home, maybe draw himself a warm bath, and just fucking sleep.

 

Jessica seemed to pick up on his state and gave him an out. “I’ll give you a fiver if you’ll pick me up a nice latte from the coffee shop across the way. You can buy yourself something nice too, if you want.”

 

He took the bill from her and left the shop with a wave. The air outside was crisp and chilly, as he’d expected with fall dawning on them. Clouds lined the sky like cotton balls in a diorama and gave the small shopping district a distinct, almost fake, feeling. The coffee shop was across the street from the flowery and right next door to a tattoo shop.

 

He crossed the street towards the parlor, _House of Winchester Tattoo Parlor_ , and took a glance inside. The place had beautiful dark cherrywood floors and black paneling that went up half the wall. Above that was painted with a dark burgundy color and covered in different sketches and portraits. A woman with a black bob sat at the front desk talking animatedly over the phone, while two artists sat in the back. One was sketching something, while the other was tattooing a woman with long brown hair.

 

The parlor was a stark contrast to all the other shops on the block with their pastel color schemes. It was kind of odd to see it nestled here amongst such suburbia, but Chris felt it was cool nonetheless.

 

Chris walked into the coffee shop next door, immediately being hit by the tantalizing aroma of ground coffee beans. The place was mostly empty, spare a man in letterman’s jacket typing away at his Macbook. A woman with a short bob cut stood behind the main counter and was scrubbing down some of the counters.

 

“Welcome to _Bean There Done That_ , what can I get for you?” The woman asked almost as if on auto-pilot, not that Chris could blame her.

 

“Uh, one small caramel latte and one...pumpkin spice?”

 

The woman snorted. “Is that a question or your order?”

 

“My--my order.” Chris flushed. Shit, that was the second time he’d been embarrassed to the point of turning red today.

 

“That’ll be $4.13. You new to town?”

 

Chris nodded and handed the bill over to her. “That obvious?”

 

She plucked a cup from the stack beside her, along with a sharpie. “Town’s pretty small. It’s easy to spot new faces. What’s your name, newbie?”

 

“Chris.” He replied. The woman, Beth, her name tag read, quickly scribbled the name on two cups.

 

“Zu, you think you can start on the caramel latte? I’ll handle the pumpkin spice.” Beth called to someone in the back room.

 

“Sure thing.”

 

Chris watched as the two women worked, whipping up the drinks in almost no time. It was kind of scary how well they worked together, almost like they were a well oiled machine. They must’ve been working with each other a long time at the shop. Beth placed the two cups of coffee on the counter before him and rolled her eyes at someone behind him.

 

“Hey Josh.” Zu called with a wave.

 

“I thought you had work.” Beth remarked flatly.

 

Josh? Who was--

 

“Ever heard of taking a break? You should try it some time.”

 

Chris turned around to find a man slightly shorter than him standing there with a wide smile. He had dark brown hair that was gelled back, dark blue-green eyes, and a jawline that looked like it’d been chiseled by Michelangelo himself. Fuck, the guy was hot.

 

Josh turned his attention towards Chris, and he nearly melted into himself.

 

“Don’t think I’ve seen you around town before. I’m Josh.” The man spoke easy and held out a hand for Chris to shake.

 

“Chris.”

 

Fuck. He was _so_  fucked.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm looking for people to fill in roles for background characters, so if you want to be a part of this love story let me know!
> 
> Zu: motherheckingsaekurosawa


End file.
